Game board



Oct. 20, 1936.

c. A. ANDERSON 2,058,202

GAME BOARD Filed May 7, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Pfg. 2

INVENTOR si WM f. mmm- ATTORNEY Qct. 20, 1936. c. A. ANDERSON 2,058,202

GAME BOARD Filed May 7, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FQ. ,3 f A FQ. 4

CHARLES AAA/JE/eso/v INVENTOR By P. MMOMV Patented Oct. 20, 1936 GAME BOARD Charles A. Anderson, New Rochelle, N. Y., assignor to Gotham Pressed Steel Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application` May T,

5 Claims.

My invention relates to game boards and has particular reference to game boards in which a ball is projected to one end of the board and is allowed to roll back over a series of obstacles and 5 traps.

The object of my invention is to provide a game board with pivoted gates disposed in coordination with certain traps and adapted to close the entrance to these traps by the passage of a ball through the gates.

Another object of my invention is to provide a game board with pvoted gates disposed in coordination with certain traps and adapted tofclose these traps in certain positions of the gates, but adapted to open these gates by the pressure of a ball passing on the other side of the gates and actuating an extension on the gates provided specially for this purpose. I also provide means to guide a ball on these extensions.

Another object of my invention is to provide a game board with pivoted gates disposed in coordination with certain traps and balanced so as to remain in any position in which it may be placed by passing balls, exerting pressure on extending portions of the gates. The gates in their various positions may alternately open or close ther en trance to various traps.

Another object of my invention is to providev a game board with manually operable supplementary ball propelling devices located so that they can receive some of the balls rolling down the board and disposed in coordination with certain traps which cannot be reached by the balls unless propelled by these supplementary devices.

Another object of my invention is to provide a game board having secondary and tertiary supplementary ball propelling devices so arranged, that each successive device may receivev such balls only as have been propelled by the preced- 40l ing device to be againmanually propelled.

Still anotherobject of my invention is to provide a game board with a bridge-shaped member pivoted in a plane transverse to the plane oi the board and adapted to close certain traps iny one of its positions, being also adapted to open these trapsI when a balli rolls on the bridge thereby tilting it over into another' position.

My invention isl more fully described in the accompanying specification and drawings in 501 Which- Fig. 1 is a plan view of my game board, Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the same taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. l, Fig. 3 is a plan View of a modied board, Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation taken on 55'l the line 4 4 of Fig 3, Fig. 5 is a detail view of 1936,4 Seriali No.` '18,335

a tiltingv bridge, and Fig. 6 is amodii'ed arrangement ofthebridge. Y

My game boardI consists of a flat boardV I having a wall or flange 2' around its edges and apeg 3i supporting one end of the board at a certain elevation above thesurface of'a table 4i or other objectY on` which the board may be placed. A longitudinal' runway 5y is formed at one side of the board by a partition 6i. A ballpropelling device is mountedA at the lower end of the runway 5 consistingA of atube 'IS closed at. the rearl end with a disc 8 with a hole in the center for a rod 9' with a plunger' Ill at: the front end anda handle I l` at therear end. A spring I2 keeps the plunger' under tension and provides the propelling force for a ball |53 placed at the frontend of the plunger. By'pulli'ng on the handle II and'releasing it, the plunger is allowed to strike the ball4 and propel it along the runway and out o-ffitover a path formed' by curvedv guides I 4- at the upper end of the board. A baffle plate or brake t5 is placed at the first guide I4. This plate is made flexible andresilient so that it permits the ball to pass through, but sufliciently retards it so as to prevent its jumping over the i'lange 2. A

The board has anumber of traps for the balls in theshape of pockets or holes I6 made so that the balls canroll over them if they have sufficient speed. There are also deeper or larger pockets IT which more readily retain the balls. Other traps are made of wireeinsertedby its ends into the board and bent soV as to form loops adapted to retain balls which happen to fall into these loops. Different traps are assigned differentvalues indicated by numbers (not shown) printed under'the traps on thev board. There are also traps formed of pins I8 inserted into the board and arranged in groups so as toform pockets. Other such pins are inserted singly in various places, forming obstructions for the balls, causing them to rebound in Various directions and increasing their chances of falling into traps. The pins may be also arranged in rows so as to form guiding means for the balls.

The board has in the lower portion secondary or supplementary ball propelling devices or shooters consisting of flat springs I9 attached at one end to brackets 20 and adapted to be deflectedy by the pressure of a finger on the other end. The latter extends beyond a bar 2I with a slot 22` for the spring I9, the slot limiting the bending movements of the spring. The bar 2| forms a guiding wall for the ball, a row of the pinsl I8 forming continuation of the guiding wall. At the other side the ball is guided by a guide rail 23 formed of a wire inserted by its ends into the board. The upper ends of the rails 23 are bent inwardly forming clearances for the balls with the lower ends of short rails 24. Approximately in line with the rails 23 and 24 there are curved rails 25 abutting by their outer ends the walls 2 and 6. Short rails 26 are placed at a distance below the rails 25.

Second supplementary propelling springs 21 are placed below the guide rails 26 and are supported on brackets 28. The springs 21 are guided by the slots 22 in bars 29. The rails 23, 24, 25 and 26 are aligned as shown so as to form a curved path for a ball projected from one of the springs I9. The ball, if shot with a proper speed, lands in a pocket formed by the spring 21 and bar 29 as shown at the left of Fig. l. It can be then again propelled by deflecting and releasing the spring. There is an open path for the ball, propelled by the spring 21, into a space 39 partly surrounded by rails 3| and having an opening 32 at the top. Resilient baiiie plates 33 are provided near the rails 3| in order to retard the ilight of the balls if shot with too great a speed by the spring 21. A trap or pocket 34 is provided in the space 30 made of pins I8, also traps 35 formed of curved plates. It may be noted that balls may reach these traps only if propelled by one of the springs 21, although, of course, aball may fall from the upper portion of the board through the opening 32, the probability of which is very small, however.

Additional pockets or traps are placed in a space between the rails 23, this space being accessible to the balls through an opening between gates 36. The gates are made of metal strips with three ends centrally pivoted on pins 31 on which the gates can turn with a slight friction. They are balanced so as to remain in any position in which they may be turned. At the start of the game the gates are turned so as to converge by their upper ends thereby closing the passage between them for the balls. The gate at the left is shown in such closing position. The gates may be opened by balls rolling into pockets formed by the outer lugs 38 and rails 24. The ball, pressing on the lug 38, turns the gate until a passage is opened between the lower end of the rail 24 and the upper end of the rail 23, the ball rolling through this passage. An opened gate is shown at the right in Fig. 1.

When both gates are opened, a ball may pass between them into the space between the rails 23. In passing, the ball will press on the inner lugs 39 of the gates, causing the gates to turn and again to close the entrance back of the ball, the ball falling into the space between the rails 23.

Another pivoted gate 4U is shown at the left in Fig. 1. It is supported on a pin 4| near the wall 2 and closes the passage between the gate and the wall when the gate is turned to the left as shown with dotted lines. The lower lug 42 of the gate is curved forming a trap for ak ball. The latter may fall into this trap only if the gate is closed, the trap being then raised into the operative position. The weight of the ball in the trap 42 causes the gate to turn opening the passage for a ball at the left of the gate. The gate is placed into the open position at the start of the game and is opened when a ball, passing in the passage at the left of the gate, presses on a lug 43, turning the gate into the closed position and exposing the trap 42.

Additional wide traps 44 are placed at the lower portion of the board.

A star wheel 45 is rotatively supported on a pin 46 and can be turned by balls rolling downward on the board. A pointer 41 is placed on one of the arms of the wheel, indicating a number on a dial 48 under the wheel.

A modified construction of the board is shown in Figs. 3 and 4. Here a spring 49 is used for propelling the ball through a runway 50. At the top of the board there are two U-shaped traps 5| formed of curved wire rails, and pockets 52 formed at the sides of the traps 5| by pins. Gates 53 are pivotally supported above the traps 5| on pins 54, partly closing both traps.

The gates are balanced so that they tend to hang in a position shown at the right in Fig. 3. A ball may fall into the pocket 5|, turning the gate, but the latter will return into its original position by gravity. The ball may also fall into the pocket 52 between the pins |8, but in such position the ball holds the end of the gate against the side of the U-trap 5| as shown at the left in Fig. 3. The other side of the gate extends then over the trap 5|, preventing balls from entering it.

Similar gates 12 are supported on pins 13 above deep traps 14 abutting the wall 2 at the left and the partition 6 at the right. Guiding rails 55 direct balls into a passage 56 thereby causing the gates to be turned into the open position shown at the left in Fig. 3. A ball may then fall into the pocket 14, but on its way the ball will press against a lug 51 closing the gate, so that no more balls can fall into the pocket 14 until the gates are again opened. Another pair of similar gates 58 are supported on pins 59 in coordination with guide rails 60 and pockets 6| abutting rails 62. The gates are opened by the balls passing through openings between the rails 60 and outer sides of the pockets 6|.

Additional U-shaped traps 63 are closed by lugs 64 on a trough 65 pivoted by its middle portion on horizontal pins 66 passing through brackets 61. The lower end of the trough is closed forming a trap as shown in Fig. 4. Balls are directed into the trough by rails 68 and, reaching the lower or closed end of the trough, cause the latter to turn or tilt on the pins 66 thereby raising the lugs 64 and opening the traps 63. The lower end of the trough may be open as shown in Fig. 6, permitting the ball to roll further down, the trough being balanced to remain in any given position on the pins.

The open trough or tilting bridge 69 may admit the ball into the space between the rails 62. With the closed trough 65 the space between the rails 62 can be reached by balls propelled by a shooter 10 comprising a tubular chamber with a helical spring 1| inside and a hammer 15 with a lug 16 extending outside through a slot 11 and adapted to be pulled down by a iinger for striking the ball which may be found on top of the chamber as shown in Fig. 3. The ball may be directed into the shooting position on top of the chamber by propelling it by supplementary or secondary springs 18. The springs are fastened to brackets 19 and can be moved by a finger being guided by slots in bars 8| which form guide rails for the balls, together with guide rails 82 and 83. Curved guide rails 84 turn the ball back into the space between the rails 83 where it may fall into some of the traps, or land on the muzzle of the tertiary shooter 10. The traps which can be reached by the tertiary shooter only, are marked with high numbers, being especially diflicult to reach. Similarly are marked with high numbers diicult traps, like a trap 84 partly obstructed by rails 85 and 86, the rail 85 forming a low-numbered trap.

Important advantages of my game board are that it contains interesting interlocking obstructions and gates for the traps, rendering the operation of the board more diicult and requiring a greater skill for scoring high numbers.

It is understood, of course, that my board may be further modified without departing from the spirit of my invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a game board having a manually operable ball-projecting means and a plurality of obstructions for the balls, a trap for the balls, and a gate rotatively supported at the entrance to the trap and consisting of three legs extending in diierent directions substantially parallel to the board, the first leg extending to one side of the trap, the second leg extending in front of the trap, and the third leg extending into the trap, the second leg being adapted to uncover the trap when the gate is turned in one direction by a ball striking the rst leg, and being later adapted to close the trap when the gate is turned in the opposite direction by the ball striking the third leg.

2. In a game board having a longitudinally inclined playing surface and manually voperable ball projecting means; a trap for said balls having at least one side extending from the lower end of the trap towards the higher end of the playing surface, a ball obstruction iixed on the field adjacent to and extending towards the upper end of said trap side, the lower end of said obstruction being spaced from the trap side to provide a ball passage between the obstruction and trap side, and a gate movable between two positions and having three arms and pivoted at the junction of two of said arms forwardly of the end of the side of the trap, one of said arms extending downwardly from the pivot and forming a continuation of the trap side in one position and closing said passage in its second position, the second of said arms extending upwardly and closing the trap in the first position and having the trap open in the second position, the third arm extending across the trap in the second position and leaving the trap open in the first position.

3. In a game board having a longitudinally inclined playing surface and manually operable ball projecting means; a trap for said balls having at least one side extending from the lower end of the trap towards the higher end of the playing surface, a ball obstruction xed on the field adjak cent to and extending towards the upper end of said trap side, the lower end of said obstruction being spaced from the trap side to provide a ball passage between the obstruction and trap side, and a gate movable between two positions and having three arms and pivoted at the junction of two of said arms forwardly of the end of the side of the trap, one of said arms extending downwardly from the pivot and forming a continuation of the trap side in one position and closing said passage in its second position, the second of said arms extending upwardly and closing the trap in the rst position and having the trap open in the second position, the third arm extending across the trap in the second position and leaving the trap open in the first position, said first arm engaging the trap side in the rst position to limit movement of the gate in one direction and the second arm engaging the trap in the second position to limit movement of the gate in the opposite direction.

4. In a game board having a manually operable ball projecting means and a plurality of obstructions for the ball, a trap for the ball having an entrance at one end, and a gate rotatively supported at the entrance to the trap and consisting of three legs substantially parallel to the board, one leg normally closing the trap, the second leg extending outside of the trap and being adapted to turn the gate in one direction so as to move the rst leg away from the entrance to the trap upon the second leg being struck by a ball passing outside of the trap, the third leg being positioned across the entrance to the trap upon the second leg being struck by the ball and adapted to turn the gate in the opposite direction for closing the trap by movement of the rst leg when struck by a ball passing into the trap.

5. In a game board having a manually operable ball-projecting means and a plurality of obstructions for the balls, a trap for the balls having an entrance at one end, and a gate rotatively supported at the entrance to the trap by its middle portion and consisting of three legs symmetrically extending from its middle portion in different directions substantially parallel to the board, one leg of said gate normally closing the trap and being adapted to open the entrance to the trap when turned in one direction by a ball striking the second leg, and being later adapted to close the trap by movement of its first leg when turned in the other direction by a ball striking the third leg.

CHARLES A. ANDERSON. 

